Browse Exhibits (5 total)
A Journey Through Journals
This exhibit explores Lucille Vinyard's life and activism through her journals and field notes. This exhibits is meant to highlight Lucille's struggles and show her determination in creating the Redwood National Park. Our goal is to encourage researchers and curious minds to experience the life and work of Lucille Vinyard and explore her journey of creating one of the most awe inspiring national parks.
Ancient Redwoods: An Avenue for Activism
"The oldest and largest living thing upon the earth; a tree that has beheld the glory and fall of Greece and Rome; the destruction of Jerusalem, of Babylon, and Palmyra; that saw the flight of Paris with Helen; that knew of the wanderings and trials of Ulysses; that had witnessed the incarnation, miraculous mission, crucifixion, and ascension of the Messiah; a tree that had seen the conflicts and success, the defeats and triumphs of Christianity and freedom for ages; that watched the career of that mysterious person, the wandering Jew, for eighteen centuries; that saw the Hegrina of Mahomet, the rise and glory of Herculaneum and Pompeii, and their final disappearance in a tomb of fire-could it not tell is of many mighty events now lost to the history of the world which can never be known?"
-Exhibition Pamphlet: Mammoth Tree From California in Giants in the Earth: The California Redwoods
This exhibit focuses on the argument that the redwoods of northern California needed to be protected in the form of state and national parks because they were the oldest and largest trees in the world. This argument was first used by the Save-The-Redwoods League in the early 1920s and has been continued to be used throughout the history of costal redwood conservation, especially in the 1960s with the establishment of Redwood National Park.
Design in Research
The Design in Research exhibition is dedicated to inspiring the researcher and natural facts sleuth in all of us. To document a passion for scholarly purposes, one can begin with an informal hunt for information at a local library, or digital repository.
Upon second glance, Lucille Vinyard annotated brochures from national conference she attended, wrote about daily events in the field and advocated for action in letters of concern as a Sierra Club member.
The power that a personal collection wields is in its design. What the collection contains keeps the body of work relevant for future researchers. The power of Lucille Vinyard's vision extends over academic disciplines and schools of thought. To save the growth of redwood trees is to sustain the value of life in a community.
Partnerships in Activism
Over the course of her life, Lucille Vinyard's activism often took the form of partnerships. Many of her work was done with friends, whether the friendship grew from the partnership or the partnership grew from the friendship.
This exhibit gives you a brief glance into those partnerships and friendships through her eyes. This is through three things:
Her journals, which show the more personal, friendship side.
Her files, which show the professional works.
Her letters, which show how she worked indirectly with many people.
Many of her partnerships, as evidenced by the files she kept, shows she worked with many people, even if it wasn't directly.
Woman of Activism: Varying Views on Vinyard
Lucille Vinyard took the preservation of the environment personally. She worked to create the Redwood National Park as well as on a variety of other issues that helped sustain natural areas of nothern California.
Lucille Vinyard labored tirelessly with multiple organizations to achieve preservation goals, however they were not widely accepted at the time. With the lumber industry supporting much of the local economy many took her work as a personal attack.
The wide range of opinions of her tireless activism had earned her nicknames such as "That Awful Woman from Trinidad" and the "Mother of Redwood National Park."